When we sleep our breathing and heart rate slows and our muscles relax. This loss of muscle tone causes the soft palate and other tissue in the mouth, nose and throat to become limp and flaccid, reverberating in the air flow and making the sound that we commonly recognise as snoring.

The problems associated with snoring may exist even when we are awake, though improved muscle tone during waking hours is usually enough to prevent us from snoring.

Snoring is not easily cured, though it is something that can be successfully controlled. Helps Stop Snoring is helping millions of people to benefit from improved sleep, whilst also reducing the strain that the problem can often place on relationships

• As a rule, snoring is aggravated by either a restriction of the nasal airways or a relaxing of the soft tissue in the throat.

• Factors that relax the soft tissue lining at the back of the throat can add to the problem. Air passing through the restricted passages will cause the soft tissue to vibrate producing an even heavier reverberating sound.

• Smoking is one activity that has been linked to aggravation of the snoring condition. Smoking is one of several factors that encourage the body to produce excess mucus, which can contribute to the restriction of the airways.

• Excessive consumption of dairy products and common allergies, such as hayfever, are further mucus stimulants - each raising the incidence or level of snoring in sufferers.

• Other factors that affect breathing such as non-allergic ailments like colds and flu can also have a restricting effect on the airways, although these are more difficult to deal with.

• Alcohol is a well-known relaxant and which can cause a softening of the tissue in the throat, which will nearly always lead to a noticeable effect on a snorer.

• Finally obesity can have an effect. Over eating leads to an enlargement of the tissue in the neck which, when lying down, can compress and restrict the airway and thus raising the likelihood of snoring.